Repeat customers of restaurants, such as fast food restaurants, coffee shops, and the like, frequently visit the commercial establishment at approximately the same time of day and often order the same product during each visit. For example, a coffee patron will often order the same type and size of coffee at approximately the same time of day each day during workdays. Due to the frequency of the visits of the customers, the employees or owners of the commercial establishment may come to know the customers by name. However, even if the employees do not learn the name of the frequent customer, the customer's name is often used to place an order and receive the order once completed. For example, at fast food restaurants and coffee shops it is not uncommon for the customer to give their name to an employee when making the order. When the order is completed, the employee calls the customer by name.
In addition, at certain times of day, certain food vendors, such as fast food restaurants and coffee shops, will experience a larger influx of customers. For example, coffee shops may often experience a large surge in customers in the morning and may experience relatively slow periods during the afternoon hours. Food vendors can experience a larger surge in customers around meal times. The surge in customers can result in longer waiting times for each customer. In addition, it can be difficult to find time to clean cooking machines, such as coffee machines, when there are a large number of customers placing orders.